First Archery Memory

[mattys281]

First memory = missing a deer

Most recent memory = missing a deer

(All the memories in between include hitting trees)

I suspect theres a few of us that have this Same memories.

[Antmo23]

My very first archery memory was sneaking my older brothers Bear compound bow out of the house when everyone was asleep and flinging arrow after arrow at the hay bales. My first archery kill was a 43 lb javelina sow when i was 16. We pit roasted her for my Bday and i fed her to all my family and friends. Good times.

[standman]

Some great stories. Thanks for posting.

 

Brian

[WHALE]

Mine would have to be my first archery elk tag (November cow). I was sitting a tree stand and on the second evening I look up and here are two cows coming straight at me. When they reach the fence the lead cow makes a hard right. I am thinking its game over they know something is up and decide to shoot at 60. I miss and go to check my arrow which was clean. It was at that moment I discovered the fence was down behind some scrub oak and that is where she was headed. If I had waited they would probably have walked in for a 25 yard shot.

[Red Dog]

My first time/first day hunting with archery opening day last year.

 

I was in a treeline with my Dad and his goodfriend along a welltraveled game trail. We're novice hunters, and we were just waiting for the sun to go down a bit more. After waiting for about 2 hours, sharing stories of past hunting or fishing experiences, I noticed a deer running out of the tree line about 250-300 yards down the meadow along the tree lines. I saw it, and looked at it, asked my dad to glass it and see if he saw antlers. He did. So being the novice hunter I was, I decided to pickup my Trophy buck grunter, and let out a grunt, that sounded more like a cross between a unicorn and an elk. I saw the deer's head snap towards us, and got extremely excited. There was a big erosion-made ditch in front of us, and the deer dropped into that about 250-300 yards out. I nocked an arrow, and put my release on the string, and looked up to try to find the deer. Thing was, he found me first. I couldn't believe how fast he covered the distance. He erupted out of the ditch and was staring dead at me. The buck was a 3x3 Coues, and I could see it's muscles flexing, It kept beating it's hoof on the ground. I was pretty sure I was about to get shanked by the deer's antlers lol.

 

My dad was about 10 yards to my right, and he ranged the deer at 22 yards. Which means it was less than 15 yards from me. It was staring dead at me, quarter towards. Buck fever began to set in, I was trying to stop my leg from shaking. My breaths were shallow, so I was trying to breathe so that way I wouldn't pass out lol. Then, the buck suddenly took a step towards the left, perfect broadside shot available. It's head looked the other way for a second, and I began to draw, It suddenly snapped back when I was in mid draw. I didn't want to pull back the rest of the way, and I didn't want to let the string go forward for fear of scaring the deer. So I kept slowly pulling back every so slightly. It was looking dead at me the entire time. When I pulled the arrow the rest of the way back, my arrow hit against my rest, and I hurt a *Tick* this sent the deer immediately 180 degrees and bouding away. I was sitting there, doing the merps and meeps you always heard on TV, trying to get it to turn to have a shot.

 

Sadly, it took off and never looked back. But I definitely learnt alot from this experience, and took alot from it. It is one of my favorite hunting memories with my father, and I will surely cherish it forever. Me and him have a little bet going. Whoever tags out on the first archery deer gets to hang the mount on the wall above our fireplace. (I'd be happy with a spike, any deer would be a trophy in my eyes.)